Corned Beef & Kimchi Fried Rice – Just Like Your Irish-American-Korean Grandmother Used to Make

After too many requests to count, I’m finally posting my recipe for kimchi fried rice, and by “my recipe,” I mean everyone’s recipe, since give or take a handful of meat, they’re all pretty much the same. 

Having said that, I’ll give a shout out to the lovely and talented, Maanchi, since I checked her channel to make sure I wasn’t missing any key elements, as well as learn how to say, “gochujang.”

I’m not sure how close I got to the later, but except for the seaweed, I did get all the ingredients right. Of course, the diced corned beef is optional, but if you do have some leftover from your St. Patrick’s Day, I highly recommend you give it a try. Bacon is another fine choice, as is almost any other diced meat I can think of.

The egg is also technically optional, but not for me. The way the runny yolk mixes into, and moistens the rice takes this to a whole other level. The poached egg also paired quite nicely with my “landweed” garnish, as it does with the much more traditional shredded seaweed. But, no matter how you accessorize, I really hope you give this corned beef and kimchi fried rice a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large portions:

1 generous cup chopped drained kimchi

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups diced corned beef or other meat

3 generous cooked rice, (I find cold works best for crustification)

1/4 cup kimchi juice

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons gochujang chili paste

1/2 cup sliced green onion

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

2 teaspoons sesame oil, or to taste

2 poached or fried eggs

shredded seaweed to garnish, optional

Rice-Ah-Roni – The San Francisco Treat?

While it’s true this great side dish was invented in The City, to call it “the San Francisco treat” is a bit of a stretch. Like I said in the video, the next time I see this served around here, will be the first. I’d say a Mission-style burrito is the real San Francisco treat. Which reminds me, I seriously need to do that video.

Regardless, if you like the stuff from the box, I think you’ll enjoy this, although without all that MSG, it will not be quite as savory. I guess we’re sacrificing a little less flavor for something that’s more healthful, at least according to me. I’ve stopped trying to convince people that eating lots of MSG is not a great idea; but as far as how it impacts one’s diet and carb cravings, I think the research is clear. In fact, forget the research, and just ask yourself why so many people are addicted to fast food.

It’s certainly not the quality, or appearance. Having said that, if you do want to get closer to the original, simply use a cheap, powdered chicken base to make your broth. That stuff is loaded with MSG, among other things, and may be preferable to many of you drive-thru junkies, he said judgmentally. Either way, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely diced onions

2/3 cup orzo pasta, or spaghetti broken into small pieces

1 1/3 cup white long grain rice

3 cups high-quality chicken broth

Spice blend:

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if needed

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon coriander

1/8 teaspoon mustard powder

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley